Jamba Off 4%: Q4 Beats, Sees Op Margin Improvement

By Tiernan Ray

Shares of quick-serve chain Jamba (JMBA) are down 9 cents, or 4%, at $2.02 in late trading after the company this afternoon reported Q4 revenue and earnings per share slightly ahead of expectations, and said its same-store sales will rise this year at about the same rate or slightly slower than last year.

Revenue in the three months ended January 3rd rose 5.4%, year over year, to $44.3 million, yielding a net loss per share of 13 cents a share, excluding some costs. Analysts had been modeling $40.2 million and a 14-cent loss.

System-wide same-store sales rose 5.7%, year over year, the company said, while same-store sales at its owned locations rose 7.7%.

CEO and chairman James White remarked that 2011 was “a year of significant progress for Jamba” with the first yearly increase in same-store sales for company-owned and franchised outlets since 2007.

For this year, the company sees its owned outlets increasing same-store sales by 3% to 4%, compared to a 4% rise in company-owned store sales last year.

The comapny said it would “achieve adjusted operating profit margin of 19% to 22%,” potentially higher than last year’s 19.9%, while opening 40 to 50 new stores and keeping selling, general and administrative costs flat with last year.

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